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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 50 Comments · by

Everyone Thursday: ‘Duo – Special Edition’ Diaper Bag

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Skip Hop 'Duo - Special Edition' Diaper Bag | CorporetteMomsI’ve always seen these Skip Hop diaper bags on strollers, but only in bright colors – I love the limited edition bags in sophisticated prints. It doesn’t look like a diaper bag — and yet it looks totally functional and great. The three limited edition colors (a black, a blue, and a purple print) are $64 each at Nordstrom. Skip Hop ‘Duo – Special Edition’ Diaper Bag

Sales of note for 9.10.24

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

Kid/Family Sales

  • Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
  • J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
  • Old Navy – 40% off everything
  • Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs

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Comments

  1. NewMomAnon says

    I’m having a sad mommy day – my kiddo has been running a temperature of around 100 the last couple days, and very stuffed up and coughing a lot. I am in the middle of crazy end-of-the-year closings at work, and husband is still living separate, so I’ve been sending her to daycare anyway. Daycare says she is happy and eating and sends me cute smiley pictures, but I’m feeling bad because what I want to be doing is cuddling in bed with her until she feels better. *sigh*

    • KJ says

      My little one has had a cough for about 10 days now (in addition to her seemingly perpetual stuffy nose), and it seriously breaks my heart to hear her coughing. A couple of nights I have sat up with her in the rocking chair, thinking it might help to keep her upright, but she doesn’t seem to sleep any better that way. I have virtually no sick leave available, so she is going to daycare and I am trying to sleep at night as much as I can despite feeling horribly guilty about sleeping while she is hacking away in her crib. So I’m sorry, I feel you. The end of cold and flu season cannot come fast enough.

      • mascot says

        The Vicks equivalent is awesome for helping little sickies (and big sickies) sleep while sick. We swear by this in our house.

      • EB0220 says

        This was my entire winter last year. :( Vick’s rub on the chest and feet plus running the shower on super-hot to generate some steam is the only way my kiddo could sleep sometimes. It’s tough.

      • Anonyc says

        Egads, glad I’m not the only one–one kid has had a fever, at times quite high, since Sunday and while that seems to be abating, this horrid cough that has replaced it has all of us up all night. Plus work insanity, no leave, etc. I just threw sick kiddo down for a “nap” so I can jump on a conference call in five, and feel terrible that she’s hacking away. I’m so done with this sick season and it’s only December…

  2. FWIW says

    After much urging by y’all, the book taking charge of your fertility is being shipped to my house as we speak. The control freak in me is slightly calmed by this.

    I still laugh when I think of how often I prayed my period was coming and how now I pray it won’t:”.

    • Pogo says

      I’m going to get it on kindle I think, so I can read it over the holidays without the family knowing what I’m reading!

      I read “What to Expect Before You’re Expecting” and was a little disappointed by how basic it was. But, the ladies on here are usually very spot on with recs so I’m going to get TCOYF as well.

      In other news, I’m only like, day 51 and no ovulation in sight. Grumble.

      • Maddie Ross says

        Is it available on Kindle now? It wasn’t like 6 months ago (big boo in my book!).

      • Lyssa says

        Hi Pogo – I had that problem (no ovulation – or periods) both times I was TTC, too. It wound up being a really easy fix. If you haven’t talked to your gyn yet, do that – they can prescribe a progesterone hormone that will jump-start everything. (ProgesterONE, I think it was). I got knocked up pretty much right away after that. (If that’s not your problem or you’ve already tried that, please ignore.)

      • buffybot says

        Boo. I feel you on this (and on FWIW’s initial observation). Annoying enough to have your period when you don’t want it, but extra special annoying to know that you’re not pregnant AND the period still isn’t showing up. This week nearly drove me to distraction.

        Who knew the month (or, you know, more than a month) cycle would feel so long?

        Also, FYI, I don’t believe the full TCOYF is available on Kindle, which is unfortunate. There’s some bootleg version that is NOT the real book, so don’t get hoodwinked. “The Impatient Woman’s Guide to Getting Pregnant” seemed reasonably helpful to me, though.

    • Spirograph says

      I really love that book and hope you do too! There’s precious little you can actually DO about a lot of the process if your body isn’t cooperating (in my case, six+ months after you’ve gone off hormonal BC), but understanding everything made me feel more in control.

    • quailison says

      TCOYF was great – maybe even a little too great – for my control freakness. I think it should be required reading at puberty. As someone above me says, understanding what’s going on, or at least having some idea of what might be happening, was way better than not knowing anything (which was where I was before.) Hope it’s helpful for you.

    • Kristy says

      This might be encouraging or the last thing you want to hear (and I’m sorry if it’s the latter), but anecdotally, I ordered that book and had just started devouring it when I learned I was in fact pregnant. I like to think buying the book had something to do with it. Good mojo.

      • FWIW says

        I’m hoping this works!

        Also, I have been holding off on buying clothes thinking they won’t fit soon enough, but have decided that much in the way wearing a white bathing suit is guaranteed to bring on my period full blast, I should shop and buy lovely tailored clothes so fate can laugh by then letting me get knocked up.

  3. Pink Hair says

    Hi all. I’m on pins and needles right now waiting to hear more news about a job opening that I’m highly, highly interested in at another company. My sources say it will be posted to the public by the end of the calendar year, and Other Company CEO has already reached out to me (we met a few months ago) to say he wants to talk about some changes going on at his org. For approximately eleventy billion reasons, this would be a great/amazing career move for me.

    Complications: I am 12 weeks pregnant with Kid #3, due at the end of June. Obviously if this is a deal breaker for Other Company, I don’t want to work there anyway (but I’m REALLY hoping that’s not the case), and I’m prepared to talk around it at my interview (assuming I get one).

    I’ve read the C o r p o r e t t e posts on interview-appropriate gear for expecting moms, but am curious if any of you have current styles/items that you recently purchased and like. I’m thinking I will have to wear a maternity suiting/bootcut trouser, some sort of formal-enough top, and a non-maternity blazer unbuttoned. This is for a senior leadership position in an educational setting, so it’s not as buttoned-up as BigLaw but I still need to look fairly conservative. Any pants or tops you particularly love for something like this?

    Also, I’ve never interviewed while pregnant before so any tips, success stories, etc. would be much appreciated!

  4. Shoes for New Walkers says

    Sorry if this has been discussed before. I tried searching quickly but didn’t come up with any relevant results.

    Any recs for shoes for kids just starting to walk? I bought a pair of sneakers at Target for her, but they seem clunky and heavy, and it’s hard to tell if her heel is all the way in.

    We have baby converse chuck taylors (which she’s outgrown), but I liked the softness of the canvas. But maybe that’s not enough support as she starts to walk?

      • Ciao, pues says

        ditto the rec for robeez. we love them and baby seems confident and comfortable in them. you might try finding them second-hand like we have since baby shoes are expensive, and kids outgrow them when they still have lots of life left.

    • FVNC says

      At the recommendation of our daycare, bought shoes from Stride Rite for our daughter. They were expensive but the clerk measured her feet and was able to recommend a specific pair for her particular abilities. She’s done well with them — although they’re heavier than the Robeez we’d tried before, they give her good support and seem to be comfortable for her. The pair we bought is called SRT Softmotion Buttercup (I don’t want to post a link to avoid moderation).

    • Spirograph says

      We used shoes with soft leather soles (like these, although not this brand. I think we got ours at Target or Costco or something http://www.zappos.com/see-kai-run-kids-pacey-infant-brown) when our son was first learning to walk. I read somewhere that being able to “grip” the ground with their toes helps kids feel more secure and is better for their feet in some way (but I don’t really know if that’s true). We didn’t switch to hard sole shoes until he was walking outdoors a lot.

    • Lorelai Gilmore says

      See Kai Run and Pedipeds are both terrific. We are partial to the See Kai Run shoes in my house. I also think that while buying online is easy, it’s really good to go to a shoe store with your kids once in a while to get them measured and fitted.

  5. New DC Mom says

    I have the Skip Hop Verso bag and love it! (I think) it doesn’t immediately look like a diaper bag.

    Ok TJ – DH and I are traveling with our 3 month old on xmas eve and I am freaking out a little. Apparently, our flight is full and we cannot get seats together. Besides that, I am having trouble with sorting out what to bring on the flight. For example, should I bring the pump? It is only a 2.5 flight, but there could be delays due to weather and it being a crazy travel day. I also plan to bring a bottle of breastmilk with an ice pack, but how do I warm it up? I was thinking of buying a thermos and grabbing some hot water at the gate – is that ridiculous? I have heard that infants are pretty easy to travel with and I think that DD will do well. I am more concerned about all the stuff and managing it and my nerves. Any seasoned travels want to tell me it will be ok?

    • Tunnel says

      Since I have never traveled with a child yet, the only advice I have is to explain your seating situation and request 2 seats together when you get to the boarding gate. If there is any availability, they will give it to you. If that doesn’t work, politely request the person sitting next to you or your husband to switch so that you two can sit together. This usually works best if the person agreeing to switch is moving towards the front of the plane (or at least now many rows back) and into an aisle or window seat. No one wants to sit next to a baby that is not theirs, so I don’t think this will be a problem. Good luck!

    • Pogo says

      Don’t have kids, but I do travel a lot.

      1) Ask the gate agent. Often, the bulkhead seats are not released until the day of, and they like to give them to people with families (for their sake as well as other passengers). It gives you more space to spread out.
      2) If this fails, ask a flight attendant. They often can help serve as ushers in finding you seats together (by asking obviously solo travelers if they’d mind switching). It’s in their best interest to get everyone seated ASAP, so they will usually try their best to help out.
      3) Before you let them take the car seat from the jetbridge down to the cargo hold, confirm with a flight attendant that all the passengers on the “full flight” checked in. If there is any possibility you can get a free seat and stick the kiddo in car seat, that’s preferable than lap obviously. But once they take that thing under the plane you aren’t seeing it until your destination (this happened to a woman behind me on a “full flight”; she ended up with no seatmate, but the car seat was long gone even though we hadn’t finished boarding)
      4) About heating up the milk – I think there are microwaves on planes, so you can ask the flight attendant if they can help. In any case, they definitely have hot water on the plane for tea, so you can put the bottle or bag inside a larger container of hot water to warm it up.

      Like I said, it’s in everyone’s interest that you and your family are seated together and baby is happy for the enjoyment of everyone on the flight, so it’s my experience that flight attendants are pretty helpful in this regard.

      • Ciao, pues says

        OP: you probably already know this, but it is not advisable to microwave breastmilk.

    • Sarabeth says

      At your destination, will you absolutely need the pump? If so, I’d bring it on – it would really suck to have to buy another one if your luggage is delayed, etc.

      For feeding, you should do what you are comfortable with, but I found it a million times easier just to br*astfeed my daughter on plane journeys (including the 10-hour transatlantic saga that was last Christmas). Unless you REALLY hate nursing in public, or think your supply won’t be up to it, I’d just nurse.

      • Kristy says

        I don’t think it’s fair to assume that every mother can breastfeed. Some exclusively pump for a variety of reasons.

    • Spirograph says

      The first time I flew with my son he was around that age and for about that duration of flight, and it went really well. Infants are MUCH easier to fly with than toddlers! I think my son slept the whole time, actually. If your daughter gets fussy on takeoff, nursing or a bottle can help, but don’t wake her up to nurse; her ears will be fine.

      I would bring a hand pump (if you have one, definitely not a necessity), but not your electric one unless you want it for the trip in general. I would also wear a nursing top or something you can easily nurse in with an airplane blanket thrown over you.

      If you want to warm the bottle on the flight, just ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water (they’ll probably have it ready for tea anyway) and plop the bottle in there for a few minutes. If you need to warm it while you’re still waiting, I’m sure a cafe would be similarly happy to help you out. You didn’t ask about this, but let the security people know that there is breastmilk in your bag before you send it through the scanner if you can. You may just be able to unzip the cooler really quick to show them and avoid that being-pulled-out-of-line thing at the end where they do the explosives swipe on all your stuff and pick through everything.

      Definitely bring a baby bjorn or similar to wear your baby through the airport. If I’m remembering right, you might not even have to take her off when you go through security, and you will be glad to have your hands free for carry-ons.

      I’d pack an extra shirt for you and extra outfit for your daughter in your carry on, just in case. Otherwise, as long as you have diapers, a bottle, and a blanket or two, you’ll be set.

      Good luck! Ditto what Tunnel said about asking the people around you to change seats. I doubt anyone is enough of a Grinch to say no to new parents and an infant on Christmas Eve.

      • Maddie Ross says

        I flew with a 3 month old by myself and it was totally easy and do-able, so even if everyone is grinchy (highly unlikely) you should be fine. So much easier when they are that size than when they get older. As for your pump, I’ve flown with it (carryon and checked). Because it’s a medical device, the pump bag does not count toward your carry-on limit, so if that’s a concern, don’t let it be. But if you’re not planning on/needing to pump at your destination, I would totally leave it behind.

      • Nonny says

        Spirograph’s advice is spot-on. I travelled to Asia with my daughter when she was 4.5 months old and it was just fine. A 2.5 hour flight is nothing. Don’t worry about it.

        I agree that b-feeding on the plane is by far the easiest, and what I would recommend if you can manage it. I b-fed while taking off and descending to help my daughter’s ears pop. It seemed to be particularly important during the ascent. So time your baby’s feedings so that she is hungry during the ascent.

        However, be forewarned: out of 4 flights on our trip, we only managed to sit together on one of them. People are not necessarily as understanding as you would think and hope. I was shocked that people wouldn’t move so that my SO and I could sit together, even when the stewardess asked them. Be prepared for that.

        Something that really worked well (and keep in mind that I was on a 9-hour flight) was actually draping a sling around myself before I sat down on the plane. Then when my daughter wanted to sleep, I could place her in the sling, tighten it up, and voila, I had at least one hand free to read my book or choose a movie to watch or whatever. Very handy.

        Have a great trip!

      • Shoes for New Walkers says

        +1 to everything Spirograph suggested.

        Have you ever tried giving baby a bottle of cold milk? My baby has never been picky re the temperature. That might alleviate that concern if she’ll take it cold. If not, I think the thermos is a good idea or asking the flight attendant once you board.

        On the pump: I always traveled with mine, but that’s because baby wasn’t the best nurser. I love the idea of bringing a hand pump in case of emergency if you don’t plan on otherwise pumping. But if you’re bringing a bottle for the plane ride there, will you want one for the plane ride home? If so, you’d need your pump.

        I’ve found other passengers to be really warm and accommodating when we’ve flown with a young baby. Three months is actually a great age to fly. Good luck!

    • Katarina says

      I think you should have no problem finding someone willing to switch with one of you to get away from the baby. A thermos of water should work to heat up the milk. I recommend wearing the baby in the airport. I brought my pump on with me, but mainly because I was worried about it getting lost if I checked it. It is good to give the baby something to suck on during the takeoff and landing, such as a bottle, pacifier, or nursing. I went on a one hour flight with my 4 month old by myself, and it was quite easy. People were constantly volunteering to help. I nursed him for pretty much the whole time, with a cover, and he half slept the whole time. I recently flew with my 15 month old, and that was much more difficult.

  6. Anon for this says

    Anon for this on the off chance someone I know reads here – and apologies if this has been discussed, but my searches didn’t pull anything up…

    Here’s something that you all might have strong feelings or advice about: when is realistic/useful for grandparents, who live flying distance (say, a manageable 1.5 day drive or a long 1 day drive) away, to visit a newborn? Spouse and I had suggested not buying tickets for any sooner than 2 weeks after my due date, so that 1) if all goes well, baby will certainly be here by then and 2) we’d likely have at least a week at home without visitors. This has not gone over well because they want to be here *immediately* – and we keep telling them that we don’t know when that is, and more specifically we’d like time at home alone first. Spouse has extended leave from work (huzzah) so it’s not like I’ll be alone after 3 days. My parents bought tickets a few months ago for 2.5 weeks after my due date, since they live too far to drive. My preference is that the in laws just drive out when we feel settled, which might be at 2 weeks or might be after 4 days, and if they want to visit ASAP then driving is the most realistic option.

    If they lived closer, I would be happy with them coming to the hospital, or stopping by the house for a half hour visit. But as it is, I’m starting to panic about trying to breastfeed (and potentially having a difficult time with it) while my in laws are around. I’m envisioning a lot of crying. Whether they stayed with us or in a hotel, there would be extended times where they would be in our house and I would feel pressure to be more friendly/less miserable. On the other hand, it might be nice to have more help, and I don’t want them to “miss” the truly newborn stage. And I’m pretty sure they would be helpful, and we generally have a good relationship. Our child will be the first grandchild in both families.

    What did you all do, if you lived far away from family? Do you wish you had done it differently?

    • AEK says

      I am having this very same question; will follow with interest! FWIW, for now we have come down the same way as you— holding off flying-distance grandparents for a week or two after the birth.

    • Newly pregnant says

      For me it would depend on what I thought the dynamic would be when they arrived. My friend’s family all live far away from her, and when she had her first her mom came into town and stayed for a few weeks. Her mom helped her get settled, cooked, cleaned the house, helped with the baby, and let her recuperate/adjust. She did not want her father to come visit for a few weeks (parents are divorced) because her father is a much more demanding houseguest, is semi-helpless (like, wants coffee but can’t just go to the grocery store and buy it himself), and very little help with the baby. By the time her father did come visit, she felt much more equipped to manage him and the baby.

      If my family lived farther away (most are local), I would probably try to stagger everyone too, with the most helpful (or least frustrating) people arriving first. But I completely understand you wanting some time to adjust privately – I want that too and my family/in-laws are all within a 2 hour drive of me.

      In terms of the newborn stage – I’ve met my friend’s babies from as young as 4 days old, and honestly I don’t see a huge difference between a 4 day old baby and a 2 week old baby. The 2 week old baby is maybe a little bit heavier and less wrinkled, but they’re still really tiny. Plus, if you’re a week late, the baby will only be a week old!

      • Spirograph says

        Ha, is your friend me? Because that describes my parents perfectly. It definitely depends on the dynamics. My mom drove out the day after my son was born and stayed for a little more than a week. Having her there was super helpful, even though my husband also took that time off work. We didn’t feel like she was imposing on our new family time at all. My dad came about a month later and stayed for a few days. I love my dad, but I was relieved when he went home, and I was so glad I’d had a month to figure out what to do with a baby before he showed up and made extra work for me.

        My inlaws are also divorced and both live either a flight or a day+ car trip away. Neither planned to visit immediately after the baby was born (partly because MIL’s work is very seasonal and baby was born at the worst time of year for her to get away). MIL planned a 10-day trip for when baby was about 4 months old. I was back at work and my husband was staying home with the baby at that time, so it was nice for them to be able to spend a lot of time together. Also, although I really like MIL, I was much happier going to work and seeing her in the evenings/on the weekend than I would have been having her around all day when I was on maternity leave and my husband was at work. I think FIL popped in for a couple days sometime in the first few months, but he is unapologetically not interested in infants, and only came because he felt obligated and wanted to spend time with my husband. He and his wife entertained themselves out of the house during the day and were mostly around for breakfast and dinner-evening (and they cooked!).

        Overall, I was happy with how all of that worked out, and have a very similar plans for baby #2. Tread carefully with how you handle the in-laws! One of my friends put her foot down about not wanting them around for the first week or two (which is the most reasonable thing ever. You will be dealing with a lot of physical recovery and intense emotions. If you’re BFing, you may want to sit around topless for much of the day, and you may or may not be comfortable being in various states of undress around your in-laws. I might have been ok with MIL around, but definitely not FIL. Not even my own dad.) and spent the next several months dealing with her in-laws complaining constantly that she was trying to cut them out of grandchild’s life.

        • Anon for this says

          Thanks – as you both have said, it comes down to personalities, and it’s hard when basically you have to tell someone no just because they are who they are. Which is why, given your last paragraph Spirograph, it’s especially hard to not burn bridges with the inlaws! I worry about doing that preemptively and unnecessarily (maybe after birth and a few days of BFing I’ll throw all modesty to the wind?). These are all good things to think about.

          And it’s good to know re the newborn stage. Haven’t been around many myself so not sure what the timeline is.

    • FVNC says

      My sister was in the same situation. She and her husband just held firm that grandparents could visit no earlier than two weeks after baby was born (scheduled c-section). This caused a bit of hurt feelings with her in-laws, but all was forgiven the second they met their grandbaby. My parents visited when baby was 2 weeks old, and in-laws visited the next week.

      • Anon for this says

        I like that all was forgiven! This gives me hope no matter how it turns out. Thanks for the example.

    • Shoes for New Walkers says

      My parents are a flight away and my DH’s parents are a 1-day drive away. We ended up telling everyone: We really want your help and want you to meet baby, but we also want time alone as a family. So we’ll call you and we can make travel plans after the baby is home and we’re settled in (whether that’s two days or two weeks or longer). I was like you, and was nervous re breastfeeding and figuring it all out, and was afraid having people in my house would just stress me out more. [Side note: this worked because my parents didn’t care about buying a super expensive plane ticket on a few days’ notice. We would have planned differently if that had been an issue.]

      So my two cents: Do whatever you think will be best for you. It’s okay to tell your in-laws that you really want them to meet the baby, but that they need to be flexible about when they come (and for how long) depending on how everything goes. If that uncertainty won’t work for some reason, then I would err on the side of having them come when your parents come. That way, all grandparents are treated the same, and your parents can run any interference needed. And your mom can sit with you in a private place while you breastfeed (if you don’t want to do it in front of others) while your DH visits with his parents (or vice versa).

      For us, as it turned out, our post-birth was kind of crazy for a while, so I was happy to not have to worry about family visiting right away. We had to shuttle back and forth to the NICU for 2 weeks and then still really struggled with breastfeeding when we got home. So I was basically shirtless for the first few weeks home, always either feeding or trying to feed or just doing skin to skin. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing all that in front of my in laws, but I did when my mom visited for a few days.

      Good luck!

      • FVNC says

        Your paraenthetical (and for how long) is a great reminder. My sweet MIL visited from out of town for 10 days when baby was 1 month old. It was way too long. The whole visit I felt torn between spending time with my newborn and allowing MIL to spend as much time as possible with baby. As silly as it may sound, I think it impacted my ability to bond with baby because for 2.5 weeks I only held her when nursing. I do not recommend that!

      • Anon for this says

        I’m sorry to hear that your post-birth was so crazy – the stress and worry of the NICU makes all of this seem insignificant (though it does point to another reason to have people wait/be flexible). Spouse just spoke with my father-in-law and gave him your option (of waiting to buy more expensive tickets when we’re home) or to buy for 3 weeks from due date, and there will be discussion about that at their house tonight. My parents couldn’t do the last-minute ticket, which is why they picked the later dates they did, probably later than they would have otherwise. Also, it turns out the inlaws won’t stay with us and will not be here long (2-3 days) so that gets to the parenthetical point. Unfortunately, overlapping the two sets of grandparents (which sounds great!) is apparently not an option.

        I feel better now, especially knowing that the visit will not be long and there will be alone time. I think it will all work out in the end. I am just worried because I don’t want this to disrupt the family dynamic any more than us living far away already has (perhaps there is some remaining tension that we have not yet “moved home” when most people from the area don’t ever leave the county). Not to mention that it’s my career that has taken us away…

  7. (former) preg 3L says

    Anybody want a good laugh? STBX emailed me last night and said that in an effort to help me out (I mentioned work was crazy and I haven’t started my xmas shopping), he and I should forego xmas gifts to each other this year. Besides, sharing the baby is all *he* wants for xmas anyway.

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